


beneath the makeup and behind the smile

by candidshot



Series: the slice of life adventure of Magnus, the mundane [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec and Magnus love and support each other, Fluff, M/M, Magnus is still without his magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 14:58:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16976718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/candidshot/pseuds/candidshot
Summary: Two things Alec suddenly notices:One, Magnus doesn't own any makeup. And two, he has also never seen Magnus putting on any because why should he when he could always just snap his fingers and instantly look pretty?So a mundane!Magnus is in trouble, Alec thinks... then he stumbles on Jeffree Starr's YouTube channel.





	beneath the makeup and behind the smile

**Author's Note:**

> So until Magnus gets his magic back, this series will be a slice of life adventure of Magnus as a mundane with Alec (of course), in the form of drabbles/ficlets.

There's one thing Alec suddenly notices:

Magnus doesn't own any makeup.

And why would he when he could just snap his magic fingers and have a pretty smokey shade around his eyes?

Which just brings Alec to suddenly notice another thing:

He's never seen Magnus putting on his makeup.

Right now,

Magnus is setting across from him flipping through the pages of an old medical book. After all, losing his magic didn't make him a handicap. He still has more knowledge than the biggest library in Brooklyn or even New York.

The morning light is filtering in and bouncing off Magnus's skin and Alec has never seen a fairer glow. His Magnus is perfect in every sense. His Magnus is beautiful inside out... but Alec still worries... always wondering if Magnus is truly happy or have just gotten better at hiding his hurt... after all, people are good at that... in a helpless world, in a seemingly hopeless situation, people tend to camouflage to survive.

"Magnus?", he calls, pausing the YouTube video and putting his laptop aside.

"Hmmm?" Magnus answers, not bothering to look up.

Somehow, along the way in their course of love, they've grown comfortable or rather, they've grown at ease with each other... they respond more naturally without trying to avoid eggshells. So when Magnus only hums a reply without looking up, Alec continues, "I got a bunch".

He says it and pauses at the awkward vagueness of his statement so Magnus looks up from the book, his eyebrows raised in question, "A bunch of what?"

"Colours".

"In what?"

"Eye shadows, lipsticks, some oily looking glossy stuff, foundations, and something called a blush".

By now, the book in Magnus's hand is closed.

"Alexande—"

"Jeffree said they're easy to apply and—"

"Who's Jeffree?" Magnus is now on his feet, walking over to Alec, his forehead crinkled with folds of questions.

And that's when Alec shows Magnus the paused video on his laptop, "He's a famous makeup artist", taking a florescent green makeup bag from behind the sofa, showing it to Magnus, "Plus, I've been watching his tutorials".

Needless to say, Magnus is speechless, the crinkles in his forehead unfolding from confusion and inquisitiveness to transform themselves in a fondness that meets his eyes. Alec is always surprising him. "Are you the same man I fell in love with?", he asks, taking the bag from Alec and rummaging through the various palettes, "I mean, how the hell did you end up on a makeup channel and even shopped for them...? Wasn't it confusing?"

"It was", Alec simply and honestly answers, watching Magnus search through the colours, "But I love you".

"Well, yes you do," Magnus replies without looking up from the makeup bag, the colours seemingly reflecting in his eyes and it brings Alec some sort of peace because those two times, Alec will never forget... he'll never forget that time, early in the morning when Magnus quickly made himself up to hide his trauma about his stepfather and the memory of it resurfacing... but even before that, long before he'd even taken proper notice to have connected the dots, there was also that time, right after the Valentine body-switch fiasco, how Magnus had himself decked out in colours to hide the fact that he was hurting inside.

Back then, it was sad but understandable.

Just like now.

So Alec decides to get Magnus what he needs to camouflage his worries.

After all, no matter what, Alec can't deny the fact that he too, is partly to be blamed.

Magnus denied it but Alec---

But,

"Come here", Magnus tells him, directing him to sit in the chair opposite him, "I've always wondered how you'd look with smokey eyes".

And it's only then that Alec notices what's about to happen so he quickly, "Magnus, wait! These are for you and besides, do you even know how to apply makeup?"

The puzzled look is back in Magnus's eyes and in the creases of his forehead and it's enough to tell Alec that he clearly had forgotten who he's talking to, "Alexander, shut up and let me play with you".

Alec does sit quietly but not for long since his plan is being derailed and except for loving Magnus with all his heart, he really doesn't know how else he can help, "But I bought them for you", is all he says.

Magnus has already laid everything out on the sofa and has seated himself in front of Alec, "Thank you", he simply replies, leaning forward with a brush in his hand, "Do you really not want me to do your makeup?"

And they're so close that when Alec shifts his gaze upward, he's locked eye to eye with Magnus as he replies, "I bought them for you".

"So you've said", Magnus answers back, pressing into the eye powder, "But I already have the best makeup to hide the bags under my eyes whenever I'm having a bad day". Alec makes a start, looking wide-eyed at the bag of makeup he just spent lots of money on, so Magnus giggles as he applies the brush to Alec's eyes then says, "That's right, and it's priceless... as a matter of fact, it cannot be bought anywhere".

Alec sighs, a little pout forming on his lips, vexed that after all his effort to make Magnus happy, he'd failed from the beginning. "Then how did you get it?" he asks nonetheless, more out of conversation than genuine interest.

And Magnus chuckles, patting the brush around Alec's eyes, "On the contrary, it came to me".

"Sounds like you've got some magic makeup walking on two feet", Alec breathes out heavily, deep in thought, already thinking up another plan to make Magnus happy, always... like he truly deserves.

"Well, yeah, I suppose so if you put it that way", Magnus answers, putting the finishing touch to Alec's eyes, "It's the best makeup I've ever owned", he gives Alec a hand mirror.

Alec takes the mirror and if he were in a happier mood then he would even indulge himself in Magnus's handiwork at how pretty his eyes look but, "So where is it?" he asks, still looking in the mirror, thinking that Magnus is actually a whole lot better than Jeffree.

"You're looking at it".

The usually pale green in Alec's eyes are unusually accentuated by the smokey glow around them so when he looks up at Magnus with marked surprise, Magnus bends forward, kisses Alec and says, "See? Your eyes are the prettiest green I've ever seen and Alexander, you're the best palette for me".

Alec suddenly notices another thing:

"Magnus..."

"Hmmm?"

"Every day I love you more".

"See what I mean?" Magnus smiles, pulling back for Alec to get a proper look at him, "You have me naturally blushing".

And he's beautiful, Alec thinks.

But Alec,

Alec still wants to make Magnus a whole lot happier, the happiest he can ever be.

★*☆♪

magnus x alec


End file.
